According to Bergamo Corriere Della Sera, Serie A outfit Atalanta have made an offer for West Ham United midfielder Pedro Obiang ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.

What's the story?

The fact that seven new players have arrived at West Ham this summer means that the club will have to balance the books before the window slams shut.

Ryan Fredericks, Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena have arrived to boost the defence, while Felipe Anderson, Andriy Yarmolenko and Jack Wilshere will certainly improve Manuel Pellegrini's options in the final third of the field.

Speculation surrounding the future of Obiang has gathered pace in recent weeks, with a number of Italian clubs believed to be interested in the central midfielder.

According to Bergamo Corriere Della Sera, Atalanta have made an offer which would see the Serie A outfit take Obiang on a loan deal with the option to sign the Spaniard for £8m at any point.

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On paper, it seems decent business. However, it would be a mistake for Pellegrini to allow the 26-year-old to move on in this summer's transfer window.

How has Obiang performed at West Ham?

Obiang moved to West Ham from Sampdoria in the summer of 2015, and he has made 87 appearances for the Hammers in all competitions.

The midfielder has not brought too much in the way of goals or assists - just three and two respectively - but he has certainly been a consistent performer at the London Stadium and still has a big role to play in 2018/19 and beyond.

A knee injury forced him to miss a lot of football in the second half of last season, but he still managed 21 Premier League appearances, and was certainly one of the team's more consistent performers during a difficult spell.

Obiang will obviously have a say when it comes to where he will play his football next season, but West Ham would be wrong to make the 6ft 1in ace surplus to requirements.